


The Best of Everything

by JustAnotherUnderstudy



Series: Petty Works [2]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies), James Bond (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-16 01:25:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12332682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAnotherUnderstudy/pseuds/JustAnotherUnderstudy
Summary: Another work inspired by a Tom Petty song, The Best of Everything.





	The Best of Everything

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to make myself cry, so I wrote this, but...

_Yeah and it's over before you know it_  
_It all goes by so fast_  
_Yeah the bad nights take forever_  
_And the good nights don't ever seem to last_  
_And man, we never had the real thing_  
_But sometimes we used to kiss_  
_Back when we didn't understand_  
_What we were caught up in_

 _But listen honey, wherever you are tonight_  
_I wish you the best of everything in the world_  
_And I hope you found, whatever you were looking for_

 

 

It had all been so new. Maybe that’s why it went bad so quickly. If she’d given in to her feelings for him earlier, years before that terrible thing in Turkey, maybe it wouldn’t have been the same. He might not have been as angry with her if he knew her as well as he seemed to think. If they’d been together longer maybe he’d have understood the pressures of her job.

Instead he sulked. When he returned to her, after she’d faced the committees and the chairman and the Prime Minister alone, after the bombing and all the loss, she knew it couldn’t continue. She couldn’t pick up where they’d left off. She’d seen in his eyes that night in her flat after the funerals, that was what he wanted. But her heart couldn’t take it. It would be just like her husband all over again, and 40 years of that had been enough.

It didn’t change her feelings for him, though. She still loved him, still trusted him more than she had any other. They just couldn’t be what they’d made an attempt at.

She often thought on Mallory’s words after James had returned. She was sentimental for James, and James cared for her. The man surmised that in just a few meetings. He had probably made a good M after all.

A breeze came up off the beach and Olivia pulled her cardigan more tightly around her. From her chair on the veranda she watched the winter sun set. Even here in the Bahamas it could begin to chill in the evening.

She spent too many nights now thinking about him, hoping he was well and happy with the woman Mallory had told her about. To the new M’s credit, he at least hesitated before he told Olivia about Madeleine. Yes, the man had known very well there was something deeper between James and herself.

Finally, the sun was down and the chill became too much. Olivia returned to the small cottage kitchen to start some water for tea, then into the bedroom and began to dress for bed.

It was always worse when night came and everything was quiet. She’d left everything behind for her safety and that of her children. Mallory had told her that in the end it was the best decision, that the leader of Spectre had a personal grudge against James and would have used her against him. That didn’t make the loneliness easier.

The kettle began to sing and Olivia took a deep breath to steady her feelings. All this melancholy was getting her nowhere. She buttoned up her pajama top and padded back into the kitchen. Just as she pushed open the door, the kettle stopped its whistle.

She stood staring, barely breathing, her hand shaking against the door. What she was seeing couldn’t be real, it was if he had walked right out of her thoughts.

“James?”

Her voice was barely a whisper.

He looked at her with sad eyes and she expected anger would follow. But he surprised her by walking slowly to her and lifting his hand to her face. He traced an outline on her skin just as he had the first time they had made love.

“Olivia.”

His voice was quiet and reverent. She wanted to ask him how he’d found her but she couldn’t find her voice.

James closed the space between them and brushed his lips against hers. The kiss was hesitant at first. Slowly the heat grew between them and James pulled her tightly against him. It was minutes before they pulled apart to breath. He pressed his face against her neck and placed soft kisses against her skin.

“You’re real.”

James’ words echoed her thoughts. It seemed to be too much to hope for.

“Yes.”

He kissed her again, long and hard and they both came up gasping.

“I’ve missed you so much.”

James touched her face again then sat on a kitchen chair and pulled her onto his lap.

“When Mallory told me, I could barely believe it.”

“Why did he say anything? You weren’t supposed to know.”

“I was miserable without you. He could tell.”

“What about Madeleine?”

James sighed at her question.

“She got tired of competing with a ghost. At least that’s what she told me.”

Olivia rested her head on James’ shoulder.

“Mallory said he told you about Blofeld?”

“Yes.”

“Blofeld told her about you and Vesper. At first she thought it was Vesper I was always thinking about. But I was pretty adamant it wasn’t. Then she ventured to guess you.”

James touched her chin to pull her up so he could look at her.

“Blofeld had called you my “beloved M.””

That surprised Olivia.

“He knew?”

James shrugged.

“I’m not sure if he did. He might have. He’d been watching me for a long time.”

“I’m so sorry, James.”

“Why? You’re in my arms now, who cares about all that?”

Olivia chuckled then leaned down and kissed him gently. Presently she felt him begin to unbutton her top. She pulled back.

“James, are you sure?”

“Am I sure? Damn straight I’m sure. It’s been years since I’ve touched you.”

Something about his words brought Olivia to her senses and she slowly pushed herself up off his lap. She could see the loss he felt on his face but she couldn’t simply fall back into his arms.

“So, we have this night, then what? You go back?”

He shook his head.

“I’m dead.”

Her eyes widened in shock until he started to laugh at her, then they narrowed dangerously.

“Alright, I’ll explain. Mallory arranged for it to look as if I’d died. It keeps Madeleine safe and ties up any loose ends I might have left dangling.”

“That still doesn’t tell me what happens after tonight.”

James nodded in understanding then sighed deeply.

“I was an ass after Turkey, I’m sorry. I couldn’t see beyond what I thought was your betrayal. When I got back, your rejection made me even more angry. Before I left for Hong Kong, Tanner filled me in on what had been going on and I realized I’d been an ass. I wish I could go back in time and undo the whole thing. I wish I’d had a better understanding of everything you do.

“I’ve had a lot of time to think about things. I actually thought a lot about them on the way to Hong Kong and had planned to do something about it after that whole mess was over, but…”

He looked away from her and took a shuddering breath.

“I’m sorry, James.”

“No, it’s alright. I’m glad it was done. God only knows what Blofeld might have done had he known you were alive.”

He sighed and reached over to take her hands in his.

“We don’t have to do anything tonight. I can just go home and we can maybe try to start over, go out a few times like the first time. Only this time with less secrecy.”

The way he looked up at her made her heart skip. His eyes were filled with longing and it brought forth a rush of memories for Olivia.

But then she thought of something…

“Go home?”

He smirked.

“Yeah, Mallory set me up just a ways down from you. It’s not right on the beach, I’m only a lowly 00 after all.”

Olivia rolled her eyes.

“He knew I missed you and he said you missed me too. He told me it had hurt you to learn about my relationship with Madeleine. I asked him how he’d figured it out back then when he’d only first met me. He said he could see it in all the little things, from the way we seemed in tune with each other to our unspoken loyalty to each other. He was actually quite surprised to find he’d been the first to figure it out.”

Olivia smiled and slowly closed her eyes to revel in the feel of his thumbs massaging her palms.

“I’ve missed you too, James.”

He stood and looked at her, a soft smile on his face.

“Maybe I could just hold you tonight?”

Olivia allowed herself to fall into his arms.

“That would be perfect.”

**Author's Note:**

> ...I couldn't leave her like that. I had to fix it. It's in my nature. :D


End file.
